Prompted by recent criticism of the University of
California’s admissions procedures, UC President Robert Dynes
announced the formation of a study group to examine pressing
admissions issues the university will face in coming years.
According to an Oct. 31 statement, Dynes wrote a three-page
letter to the 17 members of the Eligibility and Admissions Study
Group, asking them to analyze UC admissions procedures and
reminding them of the university’s mission to enroll a
diverse and academically qualified student body.
“Never before in the university’s long history has
this mission been more challenging or important to fulfill,”
Dynes said.
Prominent members of the UCLA community are among those
appointed to the committee, including Chancellor Albert Carnesale,
Student Regent-designate Jodi Anderson and UC Students Association
Chairman Matt Kaczmarek.
“I’m excited. I think it will be a good opportunity
to articulate the positions on admissions students have been taking
for years,” Kaczmarek said.
The group will report on a variety of factors affecting UC
admissions and examine ways to improve communication with the
public about criteria and selection practices.
Dynes also stressed numerous guiding principles in his letter,
including maintaining the quality of the UC system.
However, Dynes did not mention keeping enrollment numbers at
their current level. UC officials could consider restricting
enrollment growth as a method of dealing with decreases in
funding.
An Oct. 4 Los Angeles Times article sparked a flurry of
controversy over UC admissions when it unveiled a confidential
regental report showing discrepancies in UC Berkeley’s
admissions numbers.
The report shows some students with near-perfect scores on the
SAT I were rejected from Berkeley, while others with scores below
1000 were admitted. The report was prepared at the request of
Regent John Moores, who is also a member of Dynes’ new study
group.
UCLA released a similar report a few weeks later, showing trends
akin to those revealed in Moores’. Officials have said the UC
takes a variety of factors into account when reviewing
applications, not just SAT scores.
Some people, including Moores and Regent Ward Connerly, have
suggested UC admissions officers are basing their decisions
partially on an applicant’s ethnicity, a practice that is
illegal in California.
In addition to the SAT controversy, the university is facing a
rapidly growing student population and deep budget cuts, which
threaten to restrict access for future students because of possible
limits on total enrollment or increases in student fees.
The admissions study group is expected to make its final
recommendations to the Board of Regents by March 2004.